bharli waangi (🎬 Bharta, Bharta, Baby! 🍆✨)

🎬 Bharta, Bharta, Baby! 🍆✨

A filmy tale of one woman, her kitchen, and her baingan ka junoon.

It was a Friday evening, the kind where the sky turns a moody grey and the house smells like weekend plans and unfinished chores. In my world though, it meant one thing: Lights. Camera. Cooking! 🎥🍳

There I was, in my modest little kitchen, hair tied up in a bun that had a life of its own, wearing my “Drama Queen in the Kitchen” apron (a gift from my husband after one too many overcooked sabzis), ready to take on the baingan of all baingans — Bharli Waangi.

Cue dramatic entry music.

I held up the baingan like Shah Rukh in DDLJ held Simran’s hand at the train station. “Aaj tumhe bhar ke hi rahenge,” I whispered, channelling my inner Bollywood heroine. My pantry looked like a spice market scene from a Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie — turmeric, goda masala, dry mango powder all lined up like supporting cast members, each ready to deliver their dialogue.

Scene 1: The Roasted Masala Masquerade.

In a vintage brass kadhai (okay fine, a non-stick pan, but imagine na), I roasted peanuts and coconut until golden. The fragrance was so rich and nutty, even Karan Johar would call it over the top. A little besan entered the party, giving the stuffing that thoda sa weight, that thoda sa gravitas — like a good subplot.

Scene 2: The Chop Chop Choreography.

Finely chopped onions. Tomatoes. Ginger-garlic paste. Curry leaves flying like confetti. I stirred, sautéed, stirred some more — all while lip-syncing to “Ami Je Tomar” because yes, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 was on my weekend watchlist and I was feeling very Vidya Balan meets Nigella Lawson.

And just like that, the stars aligned. The little brinjals were filled with the glorious stuffing and nestled into the wet masala like seasoned actors settling into their roles. The lid came down on the pan like curtains dropping at the end of a perfect act.

Intermission.

As the waangi simmered in its spicy-sweet glory, I freshened up, tied a silk dupatta, applied a dash of lipstick (for who? For me!), and returned to the kitchen as the Lady of Laal Masala Manor.

Final Scene: The Taste Test.

One bite and I was transported to my childhood, to my mom’s kitchen, to lazy Sunday afternoons and steel plates filled with rice, dal, and bharli waangi. It was the kind of food that didn’t just fill your stomach — it filled your dil.

I plated it all beautifully (because you know, Insta waits for no one), added a background score to my Reel (Mohit Chauhan singing something soulful), and did a little dance with the spatula in my hand.

So here’s to filmy food fantasies, to the hero baingan of my story, and to the messy, magical, masaledaar shenanigans that happen every time I step into my kitchen 💃🏽🍆

And now… Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and bharli waangi? Sounds like a blockbuster night already.